Conditions We Treat

Acute Kidney Injury

When the kidneys are suddenly (hours to a few days) damaged (it can vary in severity and have a variety of causes) and cannot perform their normal function of removing extra fluid, salts, waste and toxins from the blood, (plus other functions like controlling blood pressure, hormone production) the condition is known as acute kidney injury. Learn more about Acute Kidney Injury.

Bedwetting

Please see Enuresis for further information.

Chronic Kidney Disease

The kidneys are critical organs that remove waste and excess water from the blood and direct it into your urine. When the kidneys lose function, this is known as chronic kidney disease. Learn more about Chronic Kidney Disease.

Chyluria

Lymph fluid is the fluid that is collected from around tissues that flows into lymphatic capillaries from which it is transported through bigger vessels to lymph nodes before emptying into one of the big veins of the neck where it mixes with the bloodstream. When fluid from the lymphatic system leaks into the kidneys and turns the urine a milky color, this rare condition is known as chyluria. Learn more about Chyluria.

Collagen Vascular Diseases

Collagen is the main protein in connective tissue. Connective tissue are fibers and cells which hold body parts together and may be rigid or compliant like tendons/ligaments or muscles, or in-between like cartilage. When this tissue is abnormal some of diseases that occur involve many organ systems including skeleton, lungs, eyes, heart and blood vessels. Learn more about Collagen Vascular Diseases.

Congenital Anomalies of the Urinary Tract

Congenital anomalies of the urogenital tract, are a broad group of common, mild to life-threatening malformations of the kidney/ureters/bladder/urethra/penis/testis/and female genitalia (one or more parts) present at birth that occur during fetal development of the urinary/genital system. Learn more about Congenital Anomalies of the Urinary Tract.

Ectopic Ureter

The ureters are the tubes in the body that drain urine from the kidneys to the bladder. A ureter that is not connected to the bladder, and drains somewhere else is known as an ectopic ureter. Learn more about Ectopic Ureter.

Electrolyte Imbalance

Body fluids are composed of water and substances dissolved in it (solutes) - these solutes when possessing an electrical charge are called electrolytes which may be positively charged or negatively charged. These electrolytes are maintained in the body within a narrow range and are essential to the metabolic activities of all cells. When these electrolytes are out of balance (either too high or too low) they cause problems in many organ or systems. Learn more about Electrolyte Imbalance.

Enuresis

Primary bedwetting/nocturnal enuresis is the common problem of multiple episodes of wetting the bed, only at night when asleep, over the age of 7 years, who have no history of a urinary tract infection. Learn more about Enuresis.

Glomerulonephritis

One of the kidneys’ main function is to remove waste products of cell metabolism and excess fluid from the body, which are excreted in the urine. Each kidney has about 1 million functional filtering units called nephrons. The glomeruli are the tufts of capillaries of the nephron which act as the filters of the blood. Glomerulonephritis is an acute or chronic inflammatory disease of the glomeruli which prevents them from functioning properly. Learn more about Glomerulonephritis.

Hematuria

Red blood cells in the urine is known as hematuria and is quite common in children. Hematuria can be “gross”- that is obviously bloody, smokey or tea colored or “microscopic” which means the blood can only be seen under a microscope (it only requires investigation if present on three consecutive urine specimens). Learn more about Hematuria.

High Blood Pressure

Horseshoe Kidney

Horseshoe kidney is a disorder in which the two kidneys are fused together as one at the lower end giving it a horseshoe-shaped “U” form. Learn more about Horseshoe Kidney.

Kidney Failure

The kidneys are responsible for balancing body water and salt levels (plus other functions) by filtering the water and waste material brought it by the bloodstream and transforming it into urine to be emptied from the bladder. Renal failure results when damage to the kidneys impairs this function. Learn more about Kidney Failure.

Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney

Nephrotic Syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms caused by kidney damage which results in children generally between the ages of 2-6 years, leaking a protein normally found in blood, into the urine. Learn more about Nephrotic Syndrome.

Obstructive Uropathy

Obstructive uropathy is a condition in which there is a blockage of the urine flow in the tube that carries urine between the kidneys and the bladder, or anywhere to the external urethral meatus. Learn more about Obstructive Uropathy.

Polycystic Kidney Disease

PKD is a kidney disorder where numerous cysts enlarge in both kidneys reducing the amount of normal kidney tissue and thereby the kidney’s ability to function normally, leading to kidney failure. Learn more about Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Depending on the availability of food, the body either uses glucose produced by the breakdown of ingested carbohydrates, when food is plentiful, or fat when food is limited, to produce the energy cells need to function. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of three enzymes is the bridge that gives the body the flexibility to switch from one source of energy to the other. PDC deficiency is a disorder resulting from a lack of one of the three enzymes. Learn more about Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency.

Renal Parenchyma Diseases

The renal parenchyma is the functional part of the kidney that includes the renal cortex (the outermost part of the kidney) and the renal medulla. The renal cortex contains the approximately 1 million nephrons (these have glomeruli which are the primary filterer of blood passing through the kidney, and renal tubules which modify the fluid to produce the appropriate amount/content of urine). The renal medulla consists primarily of tubules/ducts which are the beginning of the collecting system that allows the urine to flow onwards to being excreted. Renal parenchyma disease describes medical conditions which damage these parts of the kidney. These diseases may be congenital, hereditary or acquired. Learn more about Renal Parenchyma Diseases.

Tubular Diseases

Renal tubular disorders are a diverse group of conditions, both generalized and specific that develop when the tubules don’t work properly resulting in the body’s blood water, salts, and level of acidity, singly or together, becoming abnormal. Learn more about Tubular Diseases.

Urinary Tract Infection

The body’s urinary tract includes the kidneys, bladder, ureters and urethra. When an infection does occur in the urinary system, it is known as a urinary tract infection, or UTI. Learn more about Urinary Tract Infection.

Vesicoureteral Reflux

Urine normally flows one way from the kidneys to the bladder via tubes called the ureters before exiting the body through the urethra. When urine flows backwards from bladder towards the kidneys the condition is called vesicoureteral reflux. Learn more about Vesicoureteral Reflux.

Wilms’ tumor

At 12 years old, Milagros was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. In Milagros’ case, the disease attacked her kidneys, and a few years after her diagnosis, her kidneys completely shut down.